Kirsten Lawson

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Kirsten is a Consultant Psychiatrist at Kent & Medway NHS and Social Care Partnership NHS Trust with nearly 30 years of clinical experience. She has previously worked to develop a network of Liaison services across Kent; completed a significant improvement project within community based services and is now clinically focussed on acute inpatient services. Throughout her career she has gained a wealth of experience in management and leadership roles. Kirsten has blogged for the Mental Elf since 2013 and is a displaced Scot; part geek, part Christmas fanatic, part elf and National Patient Safety & Care Award winner. She is passionate about learning and development; bringing Psychiatry to the masses. Listening to people is her superpower; ensuring there is holistic patient care across all mental health diagnoses and that trauma and neurodiversity are identified and considered appropriately. She can be found on Twitter as @drkirstenlawson.

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Depression increases risk of all cause mortality (not just heart disease) in diabetes

Depression is associated with mortality of all causes

This blog is coming across the woodland in stereo as the Diabetes and Mental Elf join forces. In 2011 the Diabetes Elf highlighted Depression and Diabetes: a two way street? a systematic review looking at cause and effect of diabetes and depression and the link between diabetes and cardiovascular disease is not contested. However moving forward [read the full story…]

Apathy secondary to stroke is more frequent than depression

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Some days even the most committed of Elves can be a little reluctant to return to work in the woodland. What must it be like though to feel like that every day?  Apathy (diminished motivation, lack of emotion, interest or concern) is thought to be a frequent complication of stroke associated with poorer outcomes, but [read the full story…]

Daily psychological demands are associated with progression of carotid artery atherosclerosis

National Heart Month

As the British Heart Foundation National Heart Month draws to a close Lifestyle Elf and I were discussing their blog on heart attacks not being reduced in people taking vitamins and antioxidants which led to us to thinking about the relationship between stress and cardiovascular disease (CVD). Our colleagues in the Pittsburgh Health Heart Project [read the full story…]